history of montmartre

Famous Paris tourist attractions nestled at the foot of Sacre Coeur, is part of the history of Montmartre & is home to artists of Paris

History of Montmartre - the beautiful Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart Church) History of Montmartre - the textile district of Paris History of Montmartre - the artist mecca of Paris

The history of Montmartre has been documented worldwide and this historical area of Paris is visited by tourists who come to see the Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart church) which sits atop the hill.

At the foot of the Sacre Coeur is the textile/fabric district where you can find textiles and notions of all descriptions in the many stores and tiny shops selling ‘mercerie’ (haberdashery – buttons, ribbons etc).

History of Montmartre - walk the streets of this fabulous area near Sacre Coeur

Above: I took this photo walking up a side street, haberdashery and tourist shops on the left, cafe on the right, Sacre Coeur church on the hill in front – I love this area!

Around the church you will also find a thriving artist colony where you can watch artists at work and buy their paintings – this area has been populated by artists since the 19th century. I love this part of Paris for many reasons – it is steeped in history as one of the major places to buy silk over the centuries (Lyon is the other main historical silk location). I’m a silk artist / textile designer so I love to wander these little streets and find fabulous little treasures (I also have a silk painting adventure and I bring my students to this area).

This district has also become well-known in the movie Amelie of Montmartre – who didn’t fall in love with the quirky Amelie? Wander around, watch the artists, vist the cafe Montmartre and the great little restaurants, visit the Sacre Coeur.

Let me know if you enjoy your visit to Montmartre – scroll to the bottom of this page and send me a message, upload a photo :-)

I recently came across a website which has audio walking tours, and I thought this was a fabulous idea! They are sooo inexpensive and all you do is download to your computer, then copy to your MP3 player. As you walk around and absorb the history of Montmartre, you can listen to someone talking about the district – very cool! Click this link to read more about Montmartre, or the image below

Tourist attractions in Paris

If you’re looking for other tourist attractions in Paris, pop over to our What to do in Paris page, or check out our Paris Tourist Attractions search engine.

History of Montmartre - walk the streets of this fabulous area

Above: I took this photo while I waited for a bus; even in daytime the Moulin Rouge and nightclub area of Montmartre is colourful and thriving with life – and there are some great shoe stores here too